THE pressure to have the ‘perfect Christmas’ can lead to over-spending, unpaid bills and sleepless nights, but the festive season doesn’t have to be stressful.

Christians Against Poverty (CAP), which now has a branch in Milford Haven, is a debt management charity that helps people manage their outgoings and get back on top of their finances.

With Christmas just around the corner, here are some of CAP’s top tips to keep you from being seasonally skint:

Give yourself a talking to: some people will always have more than you – and many more people will have less. Aim to remember and mirror the kindness and simplicity of Christmas.

Talk to relatives now and agree in advance to ‘just buy for the kids’ or pool your resources to buy something big.

Just buy the food you –go bigger on the cheaper items like potatoes and work out what you’ll do with any leftovers.

If you are cooking for guests, ask them to bring a bottle of wine, a pudding or crackers.

Get together with friends and swap clothes, you might end up with a great party outfit and you’ll have fun.

Aim for presents to be personal and meaningful rather than expensive. Try photo gifts of special times you’ve had together.

Home-made presents can be lovely and cheap. Make some marmalade and add a bit of whisky make some yummy chocolate truffles.

If you are ‘time rich’ make up some vouchers for the things you can do that would help, like an hour’s ironing or afternoon tea at your house.

CAP will be running free money management courses in Milford Haven on January 20 and 27. To book a place, visit capuk.org.